CM Stars back in familiar Palomino World Series setting

The Central Michigan Stars 19-under baseball team goes into every summer with the goal of ending the season in California at the Palomino World Series.

Two years ago, not only did the Stars make the trek to the Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif. but they also were World Series champions behind strong pitching from co-aces Blake Higgins and Evan Hill.

Those two Mt. Pleasant High School graduates are now at the next stage of their respective baseball careers and the Central Michigan roster is largely different than it was two years ago or even last year when it made a return trip to the Palomino World Series.

While only about a quarter of the roster is intact from a year ago, new faces have emerged to help the Stars once again meet their goal. With a 5-2 victory Saturday over Ottawa (Ill.) in the North Zone Tournament at CMU’s Theunissen Stadium, the Stars punched their ticket for a third straight year to the Palomino World Series.

The Stars (29-11) begin their quest for a second World Series title in three years Thursday when it squares off with Puerto Rico at 7:30 p.m. EST. The winner of that game will face either Indonesia or the Arroyo Seco Saints, while the loser will have a steep climb back in order to make a run.

So how have the Central Michigan Stars gone about making it to the international stage three straight years?

“This area is stacked with baseball talent,” said Stars coach Sam Flamont. “And it’s about more than Isabella County. Everyone on this roster lives within a 35-mile radius of Central Michigan University. To me, that speaks a lot about the talent in this area and the passion for this game. These kids love to play or else they wouldn’t be doing this.”

New faces have emerged such as Mt. Pleasant High School senior-to be Dean Marais, whose left-handed bat has been placed right in the middle of the lineup at the cleanup spot. Or perhaps Ty Rollin, who helped lead Beal City to the state title game in June and is a versatile player for the Stars in that he can play many different positions. It’s also hard to speak of the new faces without mentioning Beaverton left-handed pitcher Austin Schneider, who threw a complete-game gem in the North Zone title game against Ottawa.

But that is not to say there are not a few mainstays, those players who have been through the in-game battles for multiple seasons now. Players such as Chippewa Hills’ Jake Tarbell, who is the reigning Morning Sun Baseball Player of the Year. Or Sacred Heart’s Nick Hire, who garnered Morning Sun Boys Athlete of the Year honors earlier this month.

In short, Central Michigan is stocked with the type of talent needed to compete with baseball-rich countries such as Puerto Rico or Mexico. At a national level, the Stars have also proven over the past couple years to have what it takes to compete with all comers.

The only player who was part of the Stars’ World Series championship team that is still a part of the present Central Michigan roster is middle infielder Dustin Lee, a Mt. Pleasant High School graduate who is coming off a tremendous freshman year at Northwood University in which he batted a team-best .325.

“I do feel a leadership role having been on this team so long and being the oldest,” said Lee. “It’s my third time out there and it’s still really exciting. I’m looking forward to it. We’ve got a great team and hopefully we can bring back a ring.”

Lee’s natural position is shortstop, but with Hire playing so well defensively at that position he has slid over to second base to form a tremendous infield combo.

“It’s a little different because I have a little more time and the angles are different, so I’m still trying to get used to it. I’ll play wherever it best helps this team win,” Lee added.

Pitching and defense have been at the forefront of the Stars’ run to the Palomino World Series, but you can’t win without scoring some runs and Marais has been right in the middle of a dynamic offense that puts the ball in play consistently.

“It’s great experience for all of us,” said Marais, who will be visiting California for the first time.

Marais was hampered a year ago by a knee injury that kept him out of action, so his junior year with the Oilers started a bit slowly. Once he took off midseason, he was one of the biggest pieces for the Mt. Pleasant offense and even hit two home runs in a regional semifinal victory.

He has carried that hot hitting into the summer season as his bat has come up huge many times for Central Michigan.

“I’ve done a good job staying calm at the plate,” Marais said. “Other than that, it’s just see the ball and hit the ball.”

As of Monday, Flamont was leaning toward Mt. Pleasant grad Daniel Pulver toeing the rubber for game one against Puerto Rico. But with so many different options, he had yet to make an official decision.

“We have a lot of capable arms, so I’m going to go with whoever I think is the best choice in that particular game,” Flamont said. “Whoever throws that first or second game for us will have a chance to pitch again later in the tournament, so that’s huge and goes into our thought process.”

There are eight total teams in the tournament with the championship game being Monday at 10 p.m. EST.

“I’m assuming Puerto Rico will be fundamentally sound, energetic, and will be ready to play,” Flamont said. “We’ll have to be at the top of our game and continue to play the same way that got us to California.”